Lutronís Lighting Controls Add Movie Theatre Magic To Any Home Theatre
Lutron Electronics Co., Inc., the world's leading designer and manufacturer of lighting controls and architectural lighting control systems, offers a focused product line for the home theatre market. ""A home theatre simply isn't complete without Lutron lighting controls,"" according to Rick Schuett, Vice President of New Business Development for Lutron. ""That's why we see a tremendous opportunity to 'light up' the $10.64 billion-a-year home theater industry with our new Ultimate Home Theater Experienceô exhibit in Innoventions at Epcot at the Walt Disney WorldÆ Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. ""Consumers want their entertainment centers to have perfect sound and video,"" Schuett added. ""Those elements are crucial, of course, but even when those two components are in place they're still missing the ultimate home theater experience. To make your home theater complete, you need great lighting - and that's only possible with lighting controls. If you want the magic and sizzle of a real theater in your home, you've got to have the ability to dim, brighten or create special effects with your lighting. ""Lutron offers lighting control options that will suit any home theaterÖand any home theater owner's pocketbook,"" he said. ""Whether it's a remote control dimmer for a family room set-up or a lighting control system that interfaces with the audio video system in a deluxe home theatre, Lutron lighting controls add the dramatic 'Lights! Camera! Action!' excitement that transforms the room into a true entertainment palace."" Schuett recommends the following Lutron lighting control products for home theatres: SpacerÆ Remote Control Dimmer Lutron's SpacerÆ Remote Control Dimmer makes it easy to adjust lighting from a sofa, chair or anywhere in the room. Spacer is a convenient addition to family rooms, multimedia areas and home theaters where lighting needs change frequently. Lights can be turned down low for TV or movie viewing, then, at the touch of a button, they can be turned up again for serving snacks or picking out the next videotape. And to make life even more comfortable, particularly for the channel surfer, many universal remote controls can learn the infrared code from the Spacer home theater model. Spacer consists of a hand-held infrared wireless remote control plus a dimmer with a built-in infrared receiver that easily replaces a standard light switch. To control the lights, the user aims the Spacer remote control at the dimmer on the wall - transmitting the infrared signal to adjust the brightness of the lights or turn them off or on. The microprocessor-based Spacer offers full-range dimming of incandescent, halogen and magnetic low voltage lighting as well as additional ""smart"" features including: the ability to recall a preset light level at any time, power-failure memory, and a unique 10-second fade-to-off that makes it possible to leave the room or get into bed while the light level gradually fades and turns off. Patented technology allows the Spacer remote control and the wall dimmer/infrared receiver to operate all dimming functions and ""smart"" features. Spacer's 600 Watt, 120 Volt dimmer/infrared receiver is appropriate for single-pole or multi-location dimming and 1000 Watt and 600 VA magnetic low voltage Spacers are also available. Up to nine Spacer Accessory Dimmers may be used to control lights on the same circuit. The wall dimmer/infrared receiver is offered in white and ivory and features Lutron's Claroô screwless designer-style wallplates. The remote control is available in white. Spacer is sold nationwide at select audio video stores, lighting showrooms and through electrical distributors for under $100. GRAFIK EyeÆ Preset Lighting Controls Today, the same lighting controls used in commercial movie theaters are available for home theaters, too. The ultimate lighting control product with one-touch control for whole rooms, Lutron's GRAFIK EyeÆ Preset Lighting Controls offer preset dimming as well as integrated audio video control. Just like in a real movie theater, lights can fade from bright to black, or any level in between. GRAFIK Eye can alter the mood of a room with one of four different lighting scenes -preset programs that create various lighting effects by changing the light levels or by using the lights in different combinations. For an ideal home theatre environment, GRAFIK Eye controls can also interface to projection screens, audio video equipment, climate controls, and security systems for an integrated 'total control' system. By pressing just one button on the wall-mounted control panel or an infrared, wireless remote control, the homeowner can dim the room's lighting for video viewing, lower a projection screen, and turn on the audio video system. Additional GRAFIK Eye features include up to 16-scene capability, dimming fade rates programmable from seconds up to an hour, lighting sequencing and power failure memory. It can be used with a variety of light sources including: incandescent, magnetic and electronic low-voltage, neon/cold cathode, non-dim, and with Lutron's Hi-lumeÆ electronic fluorescent dimming ballasts. GRAFIK Eye installs easily in new or existing rooms and can work as a stand-alone lighting control system or as part of Lutron's whole-house lighting control systems: HomeWorks Interactiveô or RadioRAÆ. RadioRAì Whole-House Lighting Control System RadioRAÆ, the first wireless lighting control system that uses radio frequency technology, makes it simple for any home - existing or new - to have reliable and affordable whole-house lighting control. With this innovative system from Lutron, homeowners can enjoy the advantages that lighting control brings - enhanced beauty, convenience and flexibility plus extra security and energy savings - without the hassle and cost of tearing walls apart or rewiring. RadioRA also allows homeowners to customize and expand their lighting control system. Initially the system might be configured to control lighting in just the home theater or family room. Later, other rooms may be added one at a time, or other lights indoors and outside may be added at once, all without rewiring. Since installation merely involves replacing existing switches, it is as easy to add RadioRA to an existing residence - a stone farm house in the country, a split-level in the suburbs, or a condo in the city - as it is to include it during the construction of a new home. The RadioRA system features many options that add extra convenience to a home theater including a cordless tabletop master control which can be moved from place to place in the room and table lamp dimmers that can be plugged into any receptacle. In addition, there is a car visor control, which turns on interior and exterior lights before entering the house. Another option, an astronomic timeclock, enables a homeowner to program lighting to change automatically, day or night, or to imitate the familyís normal usage patterns during vacations for increased security. The reliability of the RadioRA lighting control systemís technology places the product in a league of its own. Patented by Lutron, RadioRA is unique because it does not rely on power lines for signal communication. RadioRA works even when electrical surges, noise and interference are present, conditions that often make other wireless systems stop working. The systemís Master Controls, Dimmers and Switches ""talk"" to each other via high frequency radio signals (418MHz). All controls employ true two-way communication which assures homeowners that all commands have gone through. Up to 12 master controls (tabletop or wall-mounted) are able to communicate with up to 32 dimmers or switches at a time, so a homeowner can control anything from a single light in one room to a group of lights, inside or outside the home. There is also a protective safeguard engineered into the system - the RadioRA Repeater - which guarantees reliable performance by literally resending each command from the Master Control to the Dimmers, and vice versa. This ensures that commands always reach their destination. When a Dimmer receives a particular command, it responds by signaling back to the Master Control to confirm activation. Additionally, each RadioRA lighting control system automatically selects its own unique communication code upon installation, so that each system operates independently of neighboring systems. CLAROÆ Designer Wallplates Even Lutron's wallplates can enhance the aesthetics of a home theater. Lutron's ClaroÆ collection of designer wallplates have clean lines with no visible screws. Available in a number of fashionable colors, the snap-on design attaches securely and snugly in place regardless of wall condition. Claro wallplates also work with a variety of audio video products and accessories such as volume controls and connectors. For more information on Lutron's entire line of lighting controls and lighting control systems, and a copy of a free consumer booklet on home lighting controls, ""Dimmers by Lutron,"" phone the Lutron Hotline:800 523 9466 or visit Lutron's Web site at www.lutron.com. About Lutron Electronics Lutron Electronics Co., Inc., headquartered in Coopersburg, Pennsylvania, is the worldís leading designer and manufacturer of lighting controls and architectural lighting control systems for residential, commercial and institutional applications. Through continued innovation, Lutron has grown from a one-room office marketing two products in 1961 to an international company now providing more than 11,000 products worldwide. Well known for their reliability, elegant design and superior performance, Lutronís products are used in millions of homes and businesses as well as countless high-profile locations including the White House, the Getty Center, Buckingham Palace and the Guggenheim Museum in Spain.